Pastor to be Cited for Allowing Camping

City officials resolved Monday to seek criminal misdemeanor charges against a pastor who has allowed homeless people to camp on church grounds.

Charges have not been filed yet against Wiley S. Drake, pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park on Western Avenue. But officials said City Prosecutor Greg Palmer and other members of the Neighborhood Improvement Task Force had discussed the long-running dispute and resolved to take it to court.

“It will happen in the very near future,” said Rick Warsinski, acting director of development services. “I don’t believe we have any other recourse.”

The task force, which includes police, code inspectors and others trying to cope with run-down buildings and neighborhoods, first notified Drake in July that he was violating the city’s zoning laws by allowing camping on the church property.

Drake corrected some other minor code violations around the church but refused to evict the 20 to 25 homeless people who regularly sleep on church grounds.

“I’m not going to do anything,” said Drake, who was waiting to hear the decision Monday. “I’m going to continue to offer religious sanctuary to people coming to my church.”